adverse effects - drug effects, sometimes called side effects, that are not the desired therapeutic effects;
may be unpleasant or even dangerous
brand name - name given to a drug by the pharmaceutical company that developed it; also called a
trade name or proprietary name
chemical name - name that reflects the chemical structure of a drug
drugs - chemicals that are introduced into the body to bring about some sort of change
food and drug administration - federal agency responsible for the regulation and enforcement of drug
evaluation and distribution policies
generic drugs - drugs sold by their generic name; not brand name or trade name product
generic name - the original designation that a drug is given when the drug company that developed it
applies for approval process
genetic engineering - process of altering DNA, usually of bacteria, to produce a chemical to be used as a
drug
orphan drugs - drugs that have been discovered but would not be profitable for a drug company to
develop; usually drugs that would treat only a small number of people; these orphans can be adopted by
drug companies to develop
over-the-counter drugs - drugs that are available without a prescription for self-treatment of a variety of
complaints; deemed to be safe when used as directed
, pharmacology - the study of the biological effects of chemicals
pharmacotherapeutics - clinical pharmacology-the branch of pharmacology that deals with drugs;
chemicals that are used in medicine for the treatment, prevention, and diagnosis of disease in humans
phase 1 study - a pilot study of a potential drug using a small number of selected, usually healthy human
volunteers
phase 2 study - a clinical study of a proposed drug by selected physicians using actual patients who have
the disorder the drug is designed to treat; patients must provide informed consent.
phase 3 study - use of a proposed drug on a wide scale in the clinical setting with patients who have the
disease
phase 4 study - continuous evaluation of a drug after it has been released for marketing
preclinical trials - initial trial of a chemical thought to have therapeutic potential; uses laboratory
animals, not human subjects
teratogenic - having adverse effects on the fetus
absorption - what happens to a drug from the time it enters the body until it enters the circulating fluid;
intravenous administration causes the drug to directly enter the circulating blood, bypassing the many
complications of absorption from other routes
active transport - the movement of substances across a cell membrane against the concentration
gradient; this process requires the use of energy
chemotherapeutic agents - synthetic chemicals used to interfere with the functioning of foreign cell
populations, causing cell death; this term is frequently used to refer to drug therapy of neoplasms, but it
also refers to drug therapy affecting any foreign cell